The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History (Routledge International Handbooks)

__The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History__ aims to introduce readers to important approaches and findings of economic historians who study the modern world. Its short chapters reflect the most up-to-date research and are written by well-known economic historians who are authorities on their subjects. Modern economic history blends two approaches – Cliometrics (which focuses on measuring economic variables and explicitly testing theories about the historical performance and development of the economy) and the New Institutional Economics (which focuses on how social, cultural, legal and organizational norms and rules shape economic outcomes and their evolution). Part 1 of the __Handbook__ introduces these approaches and other important methodological issues for economic history. The most fundamental shift in the economic history of the world began about two and a half centuries ago when eons of slow economic change and faltering economic growth gave way to sustained, rapid economic expansion. Part 2 examines this theme and the primary forces economic historians have linked to economic growth, stagnation and fluctuations – including technological change, entrepreneurship, competition, the biological environment, war, financial panics and business cycles. Part 3 examines the evolution of broad sectors that typify a modern economy including agriculture, banking, transportation, health care, housing, and entertainment. It begins by examining an equally important "sector" of the economy which scholars have increasingly analyzed using economic tools – religion. Part 4 focuses on the work force and human outcomes including inequality, labor markets, unions, education, immigration, slavery, urbanization, and the evolving economic roles of women and African-Americans. The text will be of great value to those taking economic history courses as well as a reference book useful to professional practitioners, policy makers and the public. Front Cover 1 Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History 3 Copyright Page 4 Contents 5 List of figures 8 List of tables 10 Notes on contributors 11 Preface 15 Part I: The methods of modern economic history 17 1. Economic history and cliometrics: Louis P. Cain and Robert Whaples 18 2. The New Institutional Economics and economic history: Tomas Nonnenmacher 29 3. Measuring economic growth and the standard of living: Lee A. Craig 38 4. Anthropometric history: heights, weights, and economic conditions: Scott Alan Carson 48 Part II: Influences on economic growth and stagnation 64 5. The causes of economic growth: Robert A. Margo 65 6. Economic history of technological change: B. Zorina Khan 73 7. Economic history and entrepreneurship: Robert Whaples 85 8. Economic history and competition policy: Werner Troesken 96 9. The evolutionary roots of economic history: Philip R. P. Coelho 109 10. The economic history of war and defense: Jari Eloranta 119 11. Business cycles: Christopher Hanes 130 12. The economic history of financial panics: Andrew Jalil 150 Part III: Individual economic sectors 159 13. Economic history and religion: John E. Murray 160 14. The economic history of agriculture: Giovanni Federico 169 15. The economic history of transportation: Dan Bogart 180 16. Economic history and the healthcare industry: Melissa Thomasson 190 17. The economic history of banking: Richard S. Grossman 202 18. The economic history of entertainment and sports: Michael Haupert 211 Part IV: The work force and human outcomes 226 19. Inequality in economic history: Thomas N. Maloney and Nathaniel Cline 227 20. The evolution of labor markets: Michael Huberman 238 21. Labor unions and economic history: Gerald Friedman 247 22. The economic history of education: David Mitch 259 23. The economic history of immigration: Raymond L. Cohn 277 24. The economic history of slavery: Jenny Bourne 289 25. The economic history of urbanization: Fred Smith 304 26. The changing economic roles of women: Joyce Burnette 318 27. African-Americans in the U.S. economy since emancipation: William A. Sundstrom 328 Index 353